Lenora
by dragonfirechick
Summary: Lenora is one of Char and Ella's many children. She has a very strong personality that draws people to her, but often gets her in trouble... 3 chapters now! Please R&R! I'll dedicate a chapter to you if you do!
1. Birth of a Daughter

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine. Everything else belongs to me. Don't steal my stuff, people that steal are bad and I don't like them.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Lenora~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ella, exhausted from labor, reached for her newest family member. A baby girl was placed gently into her arms. Her tired feeling vanished, replaced by contentment and joy. Char leaned in close over the bed. His face broke into a wide smile at the sight of his baby daughter. Ella smiled gently at the tiny baby waving her fists in the air. She touched one tiny fist with a finger, marveling at the size, and the baby grabbed it.  
  
"So strong," Ella murmured. "She's a fighter, this one."  
  
Char nodded, at a loss for words, and reached over to stroke the baby's small arm. He slid from his chair to the side of the bed and placed his free arm around Ella. Pressing his lips to Ella's hair, he gazed at his daughter.  
  
"She's so beautiful," Char said, finding words at last.  
  
The crowd clustered at the foot of the bed sighed at this perfect picture of a family. Char and Ella had quite forgotten the crowd was there in their complete euphoria. Two of the crowd came up to the head of the bed and smiled fondly.  
  
"What are you going to call her?" Mandy asked.  
  
"Eleanor," Char replied instantly. Ella looked surprised for a moment, and then nodded. It was appropriate.  
  
"Light, the daughter of Light. Eleanor means light, you know. She's beautiful. I want her to have this," Lucinda said softly, handing Ella a golden charm bracelet. It seemed to be just the right size, although when Ella looked at it, she couldn't tell what size it was. It had three charms on it, a pony, a feather, and a box. Ella slipped the bracelet over the baby's wrist, and it fit perfectly.  
  
"We'll leave you three alone now," Mandy said after admiring the baby for a few more minutes.  
  
Char felt thrilled when Mandy said "three." He and Ella had four children now, but for the moment it was just he, Ella, and his new daughter.  
  
The crowd exited quietly, not wanting to disturb the newest member of the Royal Family.  
  
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After leaving the room, Mandy drew Lucinda aside.  
  
"Why did you give the child that bracelet?" she asked.  
  
Lucinda smiled and shrugged. "I just thought it would be an suitable gift for a newborn."  
  
Mandy shook her head and laughed. "Anyone with even a smidge of magic could tell that that thing has some type of enchantment on it. What is it?"  
  
"Now, Mandy, you know that I think every princess deserves a pony," Lucinda said, and left.  
  
Mandy, puzzled, left it at that and returned to the kitchen and her work. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: Well, there's the first chapter. If you like it, click the pretty blue button in the lower left hand corner and tell me so, and then I'll write more. (Note to self: Find more words for "blue" and use them) 


	2. Somebody's in Trouble

Lenora was out in the garden. She spun in a circle, enjoying the way her simple dress flared out around her. The two gardeners nearby smiled fondly at her, the fourth child of King Char and Queen Ella. Her name was really Eleanor, but she felt that it was too close to her mothers name and insisted on being called by the nickname of Lenora.  
  
"Lenora!" someone called.  
  
She turned to look and saw her friend Jaron running toward her. She walked toward him.  
  
"Your mother is looking for you," Jaron said when he reached her. "She wants to talk to you about something, I think. I didn't bother to ask, just came to find you."  
  
"Thanks, Jaron," Lenora replied, flashing him a quick smile. "I think I know what she wants and I also think she can wait a while. Come here a minute, I want to show you something."  
  
"Lenora," Jaron protested. "She didn't seem to happy. I think you should go now."  
  
"Nonsense," she replied. "I bet Mother just wanted to know if I still want to wear that blue dress to Katrine's ball tomorrow night, and I do, so there shouldn't be a problem." Katrine was Lenora's older sister, and of marrying age. "Now come, I want to show you that tree we planted two years ago."  
  
Jaron sighed and looked worried, but then Lenora grabbed his arm and tried to drag him toward the wall, so he gave up and walked with her.  
  
"What's so amazing about the tree?" he grumbled, loud enough for several people nearby to hear and look curiously at them, but Lenora pretended not to hear.  
  
"Come on, it's this way," she said, moving quicker and forcing him to move faster, too.  
  
After drawing the attention of several more people, they arrived at the tree that Lenora so desperately wanted to show Jaron.  
  
"See?" Lenora asked excitedly. "It's covered in blossoms. It didn't do that last year."  
  
"Yes, I see," Jaron replied impatiently. "Now go talk to your mother."  
  
"I'm beginning to wish Father hadn't made you a squire," Lenora responded huffily. "You've only gotten bossier and bossier. I just wanted to show you our tree. I'm going to go talk to Mother now." She left and Jaron followed, slightly confused.  
  
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*  
  
"Mother," Lenora called. "You wanted me?"  
  
"Lenora!" her mother yelled.  
  
Lenora gulped. Her mother rarely yelled, and hardly ever lost her temper, but when she did it was for a very good reason. Lenora then guessed that she wasn't wanted for some minor detail about Katrine's ball the next day.  
  
"Here, Mother," she responded meekly.  
  
Ella appeared from around the corner, Char following close behind. Neither looked too happy.  
  
"Young lady, what do you mean by letting all of the horses out of their stalls and bringing them to the far pasture?" Char shouted. Lenora gulped again, she had forgotten all about doing that yesterday. "It took the stablehands all night and most of today to catch them all. Thanks to you, we may no longer have any stablehands by tomorrow."  
  
"Father, I-" Lenora began, but her mother interrupted.  
  
"Lenora, you are confined to your room until further notice," her mother said. "No one is to talk to you until we figure out how best to punish you and have you make reparations to the stablehands. Go."  
  
"Yes, Mother," Lenora replied quietly.  
  
She left, going slowly to her room and thinking about how stupid she had been, taking all of the horses out to the far pasture and then forgetting about them. She began to worry about what might have happened to them. It was cold last night. Are all the new colts all right? And Old Ben, with his bad legs from arthritis, is he all right? She hurried to her room after she had those thoughts and threw herself down on the bed and cried, because of disappointment in herself, at her own irresponsibility and her thoughtlessness the day before. How could she have done such a thing?  
  
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*  
  
A/N: I know that I said I would write more if you reviewed, but then I got bored and wrote more, so you're lucky. And I found more words or meanings for blue. Some are very weird, but they all mean blue. Ready? Here they are: Blue, periwinkle, the color of a clear sky, the color between green and violet in the spectrum, sapphire, azure, indigo, violet-blue (or blue- violet, you pick;)), navy, teal, aquamarine, cobalt, midnight blue, baby blue, light blue, turquoise, lapis lazuli, ocean blue, chambray, sky blue, powder blue, cerulean, electric blue, blue-green, enamel blue, jewel-tone blue, denim blue, ice blue, color of Dori on Finding Nemo, color that makes green when you mix it with yellow, copper sulfate blue, Fruity Pebbles blue, color that makes purple when you mix it with red, color that should not UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES be mixed with orange, metallic blue, blue-gray, and the color of Orlando Bloom's eyes (or contacts, if you want to be picky) when he plays Legolas in The Lord of the Rings. Now review and tell me what you think of the story so far and if I missed any colors that either mean blue or are some form of blue. Oh, and a word to the wise: Keep away from Orlando Bloom, he's mine and I'm going to marry him. 


	3. Shopping and Laughter

Hurray! I got reviewed and now I'll write more! First, though, I want to thank Laur1532 for being the first person to review my story.  
  
Laur1532, thank you for reviewing! I'm sorry your button is gray; I don't have many words for that. I wanted words for blue because, well, you'll find out later. Thank you for the compliment and this chapter is dedicated to you!  
  
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There was a soft knock on the door. Ella entered, and then closed the door behind her. She came and sat on the bed and looked at her daughter, hiding her face in the pillow.  
  
"Lenora," Ella began.  
  
"Mother, I didn't mean to forget about them! I brought them out to the far pasture because I wanted them all to get some fresh air and be able to taste the new spring grass. I feel terrible," Lenora cried.  
  
"Yes, I know," Ella said. "Your father and I talked for a long time about what you did, and we decided that you should apologize to every single person that works in the stables, and spend a few hours every day helping to make up for it."  
  
"Okay," Lenora said, sitting up and wiping her eyes on one of her trailing sleeves. "Can I have a hug? I feel so bad about bringing the horses out and then forgetting about them."  
  
Ella smiled and held out her arms to her daughter. They hugged each other for a moment, and then Ella broke away.  
  
"Do you know, I just remembered something?" Ella asked. "Mandy asked me to go out to the market and get some stuff for tomorrow. Want to come?"  
  
Lenora nodded eagerly. "Yes! That would be fun. Can we go now?"  
  
"Sure we can," Ella said. "We'll just let your father know where we're going."  
  
Lenora bounced off the bed and went to wash her face. From the bathroom, she shouted, "Can we pick up Katrine's surprise, too?"  
  
"I completely forgot about that!" Ella replied, eyes wide. "Yes, we should. Thank heavens you remembered. Now, come on, your face is fine."  
  
They ran out of Lenora's bedroom and down the corridor to the library where Char had his study. Ella told him they were going into town for a while and not to wait up. Char's confused expression made them laugh, and they ran out of the palace giggling.  
  
They had barely managed to stop giggling when they reached the main street of Frell, where they bumped into Lenora's friend Jaron.  
  
"What are you doing here," he asked, surprised. "I mean, Your Majesties," he fumbled, remembering that it was the queen he was talking to, and he flushed a bit and bowed.  
  
That only set them off laughing again, which made him all the more confused, which made them laugh harder, and so on. When they finally had themselves somewhat under control, Lenora tried to explain.  
  
"Just picking up..." Laughter. "a few things for..." Giggle. "tomorrow. The ball, you..." Burst of laughing. "know? We're not..." Laughing again. "laughing at you," Lenora struggled to say. Somehow, that made Ella laugh even harder. (A/N: kudos to anyone who can guess why that would make Ella laugh)  
  
"I understand," Jaron smiled. "I am too, actually. If you would excuse me, Your Majesty, I should be on my way." He directed the last bit to Ella, who then recovered enough to wave him on his way.  
  
Jaron bowed again and walked away. Ella and Lenora finished laughing and then went on their way.  
  
"Oops, I forgot to bring a basket," Ella said. "I was laughing so hard that I completely forgot."  
  
"Oh well," Lenora said, grinning. "We can buy a new one. There's a basket seller over there."  
  
Ella linked arms with Lenora and marched to the basket seller, who looked a little startled, but happy to see them.  
  
She stood, smiled, curtseyed, and then sat again. "What can I do for you, Your Majesty?" the vendor asked.  
  
"We need a basket," Ella explained to the vendor. "A good, sturdy, pretty one. Like that one." She pointed to a basket with green and yellow ribbon woven through the rim.  
  
"Yes, Your Majesty," the vendor replied, picking up the basket and handing it to Ella. "That will be three copper KJ's, please."  
  
Ella dug in her purse for a handful of coins. She tried to count out three copper coins, but it was difficult with one arm linked through her daughter's and the other arm holding a basket. Lenora grinned, enjoying her mother's struggle. Eventually Ella gave up and simply held out a bunch of coins. There was only one that was copper, however, and the vendor's eyes widened at the sight of the queen offering her so much money for a simple basket. She tried to count out change for one of the silver pieces, but the queen stopped her.  
  
"Don't bother with change," Ella commanded, trying and failing to wave one arm dismissively. Lenora giggled. Ella shot her a look. "Just, oh, I don't know, hold out your hand or something."  
  
The vendor held out one hand and gripped the edge of the table with the other. Ella dropped three coins into her outstretched hand, one copper and two silver.  
  
"Well, good-bye then, that's all we need," Ella said, turning around to leave. A crowd had gathered behind them, figuring that whatever the queen was buying, it was what they wanted too. Ella and Lenora walked through the crowd, heads held high while the people parted to let them through.  
  
"I bet that was her best business decision all week," Lenora chuckled. "It's funny the way people are. Did you see them lining up to buy something from her the moment we started talking?"  
  
"Yes," Ella grinned. "But you, you little minx, you could have helped me with the money, you know."  
  
"I know," Lenora replied blithely. "But it was just too much fun, watching you try to manage those coins."  
  
Ella laughed and dragged her daughter off so they could finish, well, start, actually, their shopping. 


	4. Charms and Fairies

And here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long, I'm in two AP classes and my teachers are obsessed with big projects and lots of homework. And I have Algebra homework almost every day, so often I'm working from about 4 o'clock until 8 or 9. I'm really sorry that it takes me so long to update. And, on top of that, the story that I've been wanting to update isn't this one, it's my HP fic. So I've been kind of prejudice in which stories to update. I'm sorry! Anywayz, I have spring break this week, and hopefully I'll be able to update at least one more time on each of my three stories.  
  
I've been getting such wonderful reviews, and I feel guilty for not updating sooner. Thank you to all who reviewed! This chapter is for all of you, but it's especially for Midnight Diamond, who just happens to be my very best friend. Right now, I'm typing this on a laptop with no internet connection, so she's the only person who's name I actually remember on recent reviews, so she's the only person I can do a shout-out to right now.  
  
Midnight Diamond, thank you for all of your support. I really appreciate it, you're always encouraging me and helping me along. Hmmm, I wonder who Lenora reminds you of? *pretends to be confused* Tell me anyway, just in case I'm wrong.  
  
I just now decided to change Lenora's sister's name to Catherine. It's easier to spell and pronounce and everything, and I like Catherine better. I'm not going to go back and change everything, at least not for a while, all that is different is that her name is now Catherine. I didn't change anything in the previous chapters.  
  
Enough babbling! Now for the story! Wow, just my little intro is 319 words. I'll quit talking and give you the story now, ok?  
  
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Ella and Lenora didn't enter the castle through the back doors. Instead, they creeped inside through the kitchen door, giggling and shushing each other. Mandy looked up from the dishes she was working on and dried her hands on the apron tied around her waist.  
  
"You two aren't too conspicuous," Mandy said, walking over and looking with curiosity at the basket. "What are you hiding in there? You didn't have that when you left."  
  
"We can't hide anything from you, Mandy," Ella sighed exaggeratedly.  
  
"That's right, Lady, you can't," Mandy said, acting as if she was going to grab the basket away from Ella. "Tell me, I want to know. And are the things I sent you to get in there?"  
  
Lenora laughed. The sight of Mandy, good old Mandy with her double chins, pretending to fight with Ella over the contents of a basket was just too much to bear.  
  
"All right, we'll tell you," Ella said, giving in and letting Mandy take the basket. "It's a surprise for Catherine. And yes, they are."  
  
Mandy removed her items from the basket and returned it to Ella, then turned back to the dishes. "Thank you, Lady," she said.  
  
Ella and Lenora knew when they had been dismissed. So, they linked arms and skipped out of the kitchen, singing a silly little song about having been dismissed. It went something like,  
  
"Yes, oh, yes, we've been dismissed, Out of Mandy's kitchen Yes, oh, yes, we've been dismissed. She needs us for nothing else. Yes, oh, yes, we've been dismissed. We know when we're not wanted Yes, oh, yes, we've been dismissed. No longer will we hang around, Yes, oh, yes, we've been dismissed."  
  
It was a stupid song with no real melody. They made it up as they went along, they alternated lines to make up and then sing, and singing "Yes, oh, yes, we've been dismissed" together loudly. They knew it was stupid, and that was what made it so much fun to sing.  
  
They put the basket in Lenora's room, then together they skipped to the throne room, where Char was listening to the complaints of people and trying to solve them. Some people had to be sent away to return the next day, so that he would have time to think about the best solution to their problems.  
  
Ella and Lenora slipped quietly inside the throne room, still with arms linked, then walked around to the back of Char's throne and stood together, nodding solemnly at each of his decisions.  
  
"Remind me again why we stand here and nod?" Lenora whispered to her mother.  
  
"We stand here, or sometimes sit next to him, and nod, because it shows that we support his decisions and support him. Also, it lends him an air of majesty and makes people more willing to talk to him because he has a family," Ella whispered back solemnly, nodding at the crowd in the room as Char solved another problem.  
  
Lenora nodded and whispered, "Okay," and tried to be quiet and somber and support her father. She glanced at her mother, which may have been a mistake. They simultaneously burst out giggling, and caused the farmer who was complaining about his neighbor who, apparently, had no respect for his cabbages to stop and frown at them.  
  
"I assure you, it isn't really funny," the farmer tried to explain.  
  
"Oh," Ella said. "I'm sorry, my daughter said something funny to me. I wasn't laughing at you. Please continue."  
  
The farmer blinked at her, then shook his head slightly and continued his story as instructed.  
  
Lenora kept noticing funny things and giggling about them until her father asked the farmer to pause in his story. Char turned around and looked at Lenora.  
  
"Lenora," he hissed. "I am trying to help this man, and you are not taking anything seriously and you are disrupting the entire court. If you cannot be silent and take things seriously, please leave." He turned around again and begged the man to continue, appologizing for the interruption.  
  
Lenora quietly left, ducking under some curtains behind the throne. There was a door concealed by the curtains, a servants' door. It led to the passages through the castle used mainly by servants. There were tears threatening to fill her eyes because of her father's sharp rebuke, but she pushed them back, savagely reminding herself that it was her own fault and therefore she shouldn't cry.  
  
She quickly made her way up to her room. She often used the servants' passages, they were much more direct and easy to navigate than the others. She didn't throw herself on her bed this time, instead she carefully sat on it. She picked up the pillow and sobbed into it, holding it up to her face rather than lying on top of it. She was soon done crying, and was careful to set the pillow down so that the side wet with tears was facing down.  
  
Lenora stood and walked over her vanity, which had a chair that she sat on. She examined her eyes in the mirror. They were only a little red, luckily, and that would soon pass.  
  
She toyed with the charm bracelet that she had been given at birth. She loved the story, how it had fitted her perfectly when she was born, how it had been given to her by the fairy Lucinda, and how their were only three charms at the time, a pony, a feather, and a box. It still fit perfectly around her wrist. It was not that she hadn't grown, she had, the bracelet had simply grown with her. It had more charms now, too. It now had nine charms. Every year or two, Lucinda arrived and presented her with a new charm. As well as the pony, feather, and box, there were now a little bag, a dog, a mouse, a tiny blanket, a pillow, and a dress. All were made out of gold, and the little dog and mouse had tiny sapphire eyes.  
  
Suddenly there was a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in," Lenora called, hurriedly wiping her eyes on her sleeve.  
  
The door opened and someone came in and shut the door behind them. Lenora turned around and jumped up, running to throw her arms around the person, shrieking, "Lucinda!"  
  
The person was, in fact, the fairy Lucinda. She hugged Lenora tightly, then stepped back a little to look at her.  
  
"Lenora," Lucinda said warmly. "You look so grown up. How old are you now?"  
  
"Fifteen," Lenora said. "I was just thinking about you. How are you doing?"  
  
"Isn't that funny? Well, I'm fine, but," Lucinda looked closely at Lenora. "are you all right? You look like you've been crying."  
  
"Well, I have," Lenora confessed. "I'm having a good-bad day, and I don't know what to think about it." When Lucinda seemed confused, she explained, starting with getting scolded for the horses, then about going shopping with her mother, and finally getting scolded again for laughing when her father was trying to help the farmer with his cabbage problem. "So he made me leave the Court," she finished, eyes threatening to fill with tears again. "Then I came back in here. I don't know what to think about today."  
  
Lucinda nodded and looked sympathetic. "Show me the surprise you got for Catherine," she urged, trying to change the subject.  
  
Lenora jumped over the her bed where the basket was resting. She carefully pulled the beautiful, soft shawl off the top and removed the brown paper package. Unwrapping it, she set the brown paper on her bed and painstakingly unfolded the dress within it. Someone who was very clever with dye had died the bottom red, and it faded to pure white up at the top. The dress had long, flowing sleeves and a scoop neck. The bodice was tight and the skirt long and full. It was beautiful, just right for Catherine's coloring.  
  
Lucinda drew in her breath sharply and carefully touched the dress. "It's so pretty," she murmured. "And it's just right for Catherine, too."  
  
"That's what Mother and I thought," Lenora said proudly. She folded it carefully again and laid it on the bed.  
  
"I have something for you," Lucinda said. "Another charm, for your bracelet, and I think that you're old enough now for me to explain how it works."  
  
"Another charm?" Lenora asked excitedly. Then the other thing Lucinda had said sank in. "What do you mean, how it works? It's just a bracelet, isn't it?"  
  
Lucinda chuckled. "Yes, another charm. And no, it's not just a bracelet. It's fairy made, so it has magical properties," she explained. "First, the charm." Lucinda handed Lenora a tiny flame charm, which Lenora squealed over and attatched to her bracelet lovingly. "Now, I will try to explain what each charm will do. The pony, will, of course, change into a real horse, which you can ride or use to carry things. The feather will prevent you from falling and allow you to fly for a short time. The box, well, it's like the box I gave your mother and father on their wedding day. It will hold whatever it is called upon to hold. The bag will always have coins in it. The dog turns into a real dog, obviously. The mouse will become a real mouse. The blanket will turn into a large blanket. The pillow turns into a real feather pillow. The dress will become a dress, should you ever need a change of clothing. The flame will become a fire that can't be put out with water and won't spread from the place you put it. To use them, you have to say the name of the charm and "I have need of you." To put them away, say the name of the charm and "I thank you for your help." They will turn into the things I have described and back into charms, but only if you use those exact words. Try one now, to practice," Lucinda instructed, watching Lenora.  
  
Lenora studied the charm bracelet and said, "Blanket, I have need of you." The charm seemed to morph into a large, woolen blanket. Lenora looked almost surprised. Then she said, "Blanket, I thank you for your help." The blanket morphed back into the golden charm. It shone innocently. Lenora threw her arms around Lucinda again. "Thank you, thank you! That's the best present I have ever received!" she cried.  
  
Lucinda looked rather pleased with herself.  
  
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That is all for this chapter. I would write more, but my shoulder hurts from the weird position I am forced to type in. I type all of my stories on a laptop in my room, but the laptop sits on a shelf that's only about 2 and a half feet tall, and I don't have a chair to sit on, so I sit on a yellow ball. It's made of really sturdy plastic, and is supposed to be able to support up to 600 pounds. I like it, but it puts me at a weird angle for typing. This should be up on Saturday, but I really have to stop typing now because my shoulder hurts. Please review even though I won't be able to read your reviews for a while! Reviews really make my day, I love them. TTFN, Ta-Ta For Now!!! 


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